Post by RitaLittlewood on Mar 30, 2007 14:51:33 GMT
From the Mirror:
FOUR FACES OF TRACY
EXCLUSIVE: FROM BABY TO SOAP BITCH..CORRIE'S KILLER
By Damien Fletcher Damien.Fletcher@Mirror.Co.Uk 30/03/2007
IT'S the question on everyone's lips - will Coronation Street's toxic Tracy Barlow get away with murder?
Millions of soap fans will tune in to ITV for the court case tonight and on Monday, when the verdict is delivered. But whatever Tracy's fate, the actress who plays her - Kate Ford - will be leaving Corrie on a high after five dramatic years.
In all, four actresses have played Tracy over the years and here the Mirror tracks them down to find out what they've been up to since helping to take her from baby to superbitch... (see our gallery below for pictures).
1 CHRISTABEL FINCH
1977-1983
CHRISTABEL was cast as Tracy when she was just 15 days old. "It was a case of being the right baby, in the right place, at the right time," she says. "The casting director came to the baby unit and picked me at random, then asked my parents if I could be in the show."
They were paid £15.50 for each three-hour acting session. "I was so young that it wasn't really acting," she adds. "As I grew older I was learning lines and just saying them in front of the camera."
Some of her earliest memories are of being on the show. "When I was about five I recall being locked in the bathroom upstairs in the corner shop, where Deirdre worked.
"Another time, my character had chicken pox and I remember they stuck corn flakes on my face and put make-up over them."
These days, Christabel, now 30, admits that she doesn't tune in to see Tracy's exploits. Working as a drama teacher in Guernsey, she is busy preparing for her wedding to Aussie fiance Wayne in Perth on April 7.
"The only soap I watch is Neighbours," she admits. "When we move out to Perth in a few years I'd love to be in Neighbours, just once!"
And she has no regrets about leaving Corrie rather suddenly, when her family relocated. "I'm not into fame," she says. "I have a lovely life and if I were still in Manchester it might be rubbish!"
2 HOLLY CHAMARETTE
1985-1988
IT took the producers two years to replace Christabel and, during that time, Ken and Deirdre Barlow had to pretend that Tracy was either upstairs in her room or at school.
When Holly Chamarette, now 30, eventually won the role, she was just eight years old, yet the precocious youngster said that it fulfilled a childhood ambition. "I'm thrilled," she said. "I've been watching Coronation Street for ages."
Holly lived in Saddleworth, near Manchester, when she was chosen from more than 60 children.
Since leaving the show at 11 years old, she has moved to a leafy area of south-west London.
Speaking at her home, Holly - who preferred not to give an in-depth interview - said: "It was so long ago and that was a completely different part of my life. I don't think about it much any more.
"I'm working as a doctor now and I'm very happy, thank you."
3 DAWN ACTON 1988-1999
THESE were key years in Tracy's development and Dawn helped transform her from dowdy schoolgirl to teenage tearaway.
Dawn was 11 when she won the part through a theatre workshop. "Back then, Tracy's clothes were horribly boring. Then, all of a sudden, she went from being this dowdy 14-year-old to some 15-year-old wannabe vamp, with hotpants and fashion sense," she recalls.
The storylines also began to get juicier. "My favourite was when I tried to move in on Deirdre's boyfriend Doug Murray. It showed just how sneaky Tracy was."
Dawn reveals there were no hard feelings when Kate wrestled the role away from her. "I'm not bitter. I have a positive outlook on life."
The 30-year-old is now a club DJ and lives in Greater Manchester, with son Thomas, eight, and her musician partner Stephen Wilson.
And she says Corrie fans haven't forgotten her. "I still get constantly recognised but what surprises me is the number of youngsters who know who I am."
4 KATE FORD
2002-2007
KATE has had an incredible run as razortongued Tracy, winning the British Soap Award for Best Bitch two years running.
But she has few regrets about leaving the show - especially after getting engaged to TV producer Jon Connerty last month.
"We've just bought our first house together so I'm looking forward to moving back to London and doing it up," says the 30-year-old, who also wants to take it easy for a while by enjoying a month-long holiday. "Yes, the role is tiring. It takes over your life. For the past few months I've been working 12-hour days, six days a week then going home and learning my lines for the next day.
But despite having the adoration of fans - "they're really supportive" - Kate believes that she is leaving Coronation Street at the right time.
"I think I've shown all the sides of Tracy. I didn't want it to get to the situation where people were getting bored with the character."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fans? Okay there's a few people who like HER rather than Tracy Barlow but the lack of anything fandom on the Internet compared to other younger actresses shows she's not that well liked. They have a few pics at the bottom of the article www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/tm_headline=four-faces-of-tracy%26method=full%26objectid=18831099%26siteid=89520-name_page.html
Oh crap. You'll need to copy and paste the last bit of the link on the address bar. From the Mirror:
FOUR FACES OF TRACY
EXCLUSIVE: FROM BABY TO SOAP BITCH..CORRIE'S KILLER
By Damien Fletcher Damien.Fletcher@Mirror.Co.Uk 30/03/2007
More Showbiz
IT'S the question on everyone's lips - will Coronation Street's toxic Tracy Barlow get away with murder?
Millions of soap fans will tune in to ITV for the court case tonight and on Monday, when the verdict is delivered. But whatever Tracy's fate, the actress who plays her - Kate Ford - will be leaving Corrie on a high after five dramatic years.
In all, four actresses have played Tracy over the years and here the Mirror tracks them down to find out what they've been up to since helping to take her from baby to superbitch... (see our gallery below for pictures).
1 CHRISTABEL FINCH
1977-1983
CHRISTABEL was cast as Tracy when she was just 15 days old. "It was a case of being the right baby, in the right place, at the right time," she says. "The casting director came to the baby unit and picked me at random, then asked my parents if I could be in the show."
They were paid £15.50 for each three-hour acting session. "I was so young that it wasn't really acting," she adds. "As I grew older I was learning lines and just saying them in front of the camera."
Some of her earliest memories are of being on the show. "When I was about five I recall being locked in the bathroom upstairs in the corner shop, where Deirdre worked.
"Another time, my character had chicken pox and I remember they stuck corn flakes on my face and put make-up over them."
These days, Christabel, now 30, admits that she doesn't tune in to see Tracy's exploits. Working as a drama teacher in Guernsey, she is busy preparing for her wedding to Aussie fiance Wayne in Perth on April 7.
"The only soap I watch is Neighbours," she admits. "When we move out to Perth in a few years I'd love to be in Neighbours, just once!"
And she has no regrets about leaving Corrie rather suddenly, when her family relocated. "I'm not into fame," she says. "I have a lovely life and if I were still in Manchester it might be rubbish!"
2 HOLLY CHAMARETTE
1985-1988
IT took the producers two years to replace Christabel and, during that time, Ken and Deirdre Barlow had to pretend that Tracy was either upstairs in her room or at school.
When Holly Chamarette, now 30, eventually won the role, she was just eight years old, yet the precocious youngster said that it fulfilled a childhood ambition. "I'm thrilled," she said. "I've been watching Coronation Street for ages."
Holly lived in Saddleworth, near Manchester, when she was chosen from more than 60 children.
Since leaving the show at 11 years old, she has moved to a leafy area of south-west London.
Speaking at her home, Holly - who preferred not to give an in-depth interview - said: "It was so long ago and that was a completely different part of my life. I don't think about it much any more.
"I'm working as a doctor now and I'm very happy, thank you."
3 DAWN ACTON 1988-1999
THESE were key years in Tracy's development and Dawn helped transform her from dowdy schoolgirl to teenage tearaway.
Dawn was 11 when she won the part through a theatre workshop. "Back then, Tracy's clothes were horribly boring. Then, all of a sudden, she went from being this dowdy 14-year-old to some 15-year-old wannabe vamp, with hotpants and fashion sense," she recalls.
The storylines also began to get juicier. "My favourite was when I tried to move in on Deirdre's boyfriend Doug Murray. It showed just how sneaky Tracy was."
Dawn reveals there were no hard feelings when Kate wrestled the role away from her. "I'm not bitter. I have a positive outlook on life."
The 30-year-old is now a club DJ and lives in Greater Manchester, with son Thomas, eight, and her musician partner Stephen Wilson.
And she says Corrie fans haven't forgotten her. "I still get constantly recognised but what surprises me is the number of youngsters who know who I am."
4 KATE FORD
2002-2007
KATE has had an incredible run as razortongued Tracy, winning the British Soap Award for Best Bitch two years running.
But she has few regrets about leaving the show - especially after getting engaged to TV producer Jon Connerty last month.
"We've just bought our first house together so I'm looking forward to moving back to London and doing it up," says the 30-year-old, who also wants to take it easy for a while by enjoying a month-long holiday. "Yes, the role is tiring. It takes over your life. For the past few months I've been working 12-hour days, six days a week then going home and learning my lines for the next day.
But despite having the adoration of fans - "they're really supportive" - Kate believes that she is leaving Coronation Street at the right time.
"I think I've shown all the sides of Tracy. I didn't want it to get to the situation where people were getting bored with the character."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fans?
Okay there's a few people who like HER rather than Tracy Barlow but the lack of anything fandom on the Internet compared to other younger actresses shows she's not that well liked. They have a few pics at the bottom www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/tm_headline=four-faces-of-tracy%26method=full%26objectid=18831099%26siteid=89520-name_page.html
Oh crap. You'll need to copy and paste the last bit of the link onto the address bar.
Patsy
FOUR FACES OF TRACY
EXCLUSIVE: FROM BABY TO SOAP BITCH..CORRIE'S KILLER
By Damien Fletcher Damien.Fletcher@Mirror.Co.Uk 30/03/2007
IT'S the question on everyone's lips - will Coronation Street's toxic Tracy Barlow get away with murder?
Millions of soap fans will tune in to ITV for the court case tonight and on Monday, when the verdict is delivered. But whatever Tracy's fate, the actress who plays her - Kate Ford - will be leaving Corrie on a high after five dramatic years.
In all, four actresses have played Tracy over the years and here the Mirror tracks them down to find out what they've been up to since helping to take her from baby to superbitch... (see our gallery below for pictures).
1 CHRISTABEL FINCH
1977-1983
CHRISTABEL was cast as Tracy when she was just 15 days old. "It was a case of being the right baby, in the right place, at the right time," she says. "The casting director came to the baby unit and picked me at random, then asked my parents if I could be in the show."
They were paid £15.50 for each three-hour acting session. "I was so young that it wasn't really acting," she adds. "As I grew older I was learning lines and just saying them in front of the camera."
Some of her earliest memories are of being on the show. "When I was about five I recall being locked in the bathroom upstairs in the corner shop, where Deirdre worked.
"Another time, my character had chicken pox and I remember they stuck corn flakes on my face and put make-up over them."
These days, Christabel, now 30, admits that she doesn't tune in to see Tracy's exploits. Working as a drama teacher in Guernsey, she is busy preparing for her wedding to Aussie fiance Wayne in Perth on April 7.
"The only soap I watch is Neighbours," she admits. "When we move out to Perth in a few years I'd love to be in Neighbours, just once!"
And she has no regrets about leaving Corrie rather suddenly, when her family relocated. "I'm not into fame," she says. "I have a lovely life and if I were still in Manchester it might be rubbish!"
2 HOLLY CHAMARETTE
1985-1988
IT took the producers two years to replace Christabel and, during that time, Ken and Deirdre Barlow had to pretend that Tracy was either upstairs in her room or at school.
When Holly Chamarette, now 30, eventually won the role, she was just eight years old, yet the precocious youngster said that it fulfilled a childhood ambition. "I'm thrilled," she said. "I've been watching Coronation Street for ages."
Holly lived in Saddleworth, near Manchester, when she was chosen from more than 60 children.
Since leaving the show at 11 years old, she has moved to a leafy area of south-west London.
Speaking at her home, Holly - who preferred not to give an in-depth interview - said: "It was so long ago and that was a completely different part of my life. I don't think about it much any more.
"I'm working as a doctor now and I'm very happy, thank you."
3 DAWN ACTON 1988-1999
THESE were key years in Tracy's development and Dawn helped transform her from dowdy schoolgirl to teenage tearaway.
Dawn was 11 when she won the part through a theatre workshop. "Back then, Tracy's clothes were horribly boring. Then, all of a sudden, she went from being this dowdy 14-year-old to some 15-year-old wannabe vamp, with hotpants and fashion sense," she recalls.
The storylines also began to get juicier. "My favourite was when I tried to move in on Deirdre's boyfriend Doug Murray. It showed just how sneaky Tracy was."
Dawn reveals there were no hard feelings when Kate wrestled the role away from her. "I'm not bitter. I have a positive outlook on life."
The 30-year-old is now a club DJ and lives in Greater Manchester, with son Thomas, eight, and her musician partner Stephen Wilson.
And she says Corrie fans haven't forgotten her. "I still get constantly recognised but what surprises me is the number of youngsters who know who I am."
4 KATE FORD
2002-2007
KATE has had an incredible run as razortongued Tracy, winning the British Soap Award for Best Bitch two years running.
But she has few regrets about leaving the show - especially after getting engaged to TV producer Jon Connerty last month.
"We've just bought our first house together so I'm looking forward to moving back to London and doing it up," says the 30-year-old, who also wants to take it easy for a while by enjoying a month-long holiday. "Yes, the role is tiring. It takes over your life. For the past few months I've been working 12-hour days, six days a week then going home and learning my lines for the next day.
But despite having the adoration of fans - "they're really supportive" - Kate believes that she is leaving Coronation Street at the right time.
"I think I've shown all the sides of Tracy. I didn't want it to get to the situation where people were getting bored with the character."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fans? Okay there's a few people who like HER rather than Tracy Barlow but the lack of anything fandom on the Internet compared to other younger actresses shows she's not that well liked. They have a few pics at the bottom of the article www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/tm_headline=four-faces-of-tracy%26method=full%26objectid=18831099%26siteid=89520-name_page.html
Oh crap. You'll need to copy and paste the last bit of the link on the address bar. From the Mirror:
FOUR FACES OF TRACY
EXCLUSIVE: FROM BABY TO SOAP BITCH..CORRIE'S KILLER
By Damien Fletcher Damien.Fletcher@Mirror.Co.Uk 30/03/2007
More Showbiz
IT'S the question on everyone's lips - will Coronation Street's toxic Tracy Barlow get away with murder?
Millions of soap fans will tune in to ITV for the court case tonight and on Monday, when the verdict is delivered. But whatever Tracy's fate, the actress who plays her - Kate Ford - will be leaving Corrie on a high after five dramatic years.
In all, four actresses have played Tracy over the years and here the Mirror tracks them down to find out what they've been up to since helping to take her from baby to superbitch... (see our gallery below for pictures).
1 CHRISTABEL FINCH
1977-1983
CHRISTABEL was cast as Tracy when she was just 15 days old. "It was a case of being the right baby, in the right place, at the right time," she says. "The casting director came to the baby unit and picked me at random, then asked my parents if I could be in the show."
They were paid £15.50 for each three-hour acting session. "I was so young that it wasn't really acting," she adds. "As I grew older I was learning lines and just saying them in front of the camera."
Some of her earliest memories are of being on the show. "When I was about five I recall being locked in the bathroom upstairs in the corner shop, where Deirdre worked.
"Another time, my character had chicken pox and I remember they stuck corn flakes on my face and put make-up over them."
These days, Christabel, now 30, admits that she doesn't tune in to see Tracy's exploits. Working as a drama teacher in Guernsey, she is busy preparing for her wedding to Aussie fiance Wayne in Perth on April 7.
"The only soap I watch is Neighbours," she admits. "When we move out to Perth in a few years I'd love to be in Neighbours, just once!"
And she has no regrets about leaving Corrie rather suddenly, when her family relocated. "I'm not into fame," she says. "I have a lovely life and if I were still in Manchester it might be rubbish!"
2 HOLLY CHAMARETTE
1985-1988
IT took the producers two years to replace Christabel and, during that time, Ken and Deirdre Barlow had to pretend that Tracy was either upstairs in her room or at school.
When Holly Chamarette, now 30, eventually won the role, she was just eight years old, yet the precocious youngster said that it fulfilled a childhood ambition. "I'm thrilled," she said. "I've been watching Coronation Street for ages."
Holly lived in Saddleworth, near Manchester, when she was chosen from more than 60 children.
Since leaving the show at 11 years old, she has moved to a leafy area of south-west London.
Speaking at her home, Holly - who preferred not to give an in-depth interview - said: "It was so long ago and that was a completely different part of my life. I don't think about it much any more.
"I'm working as a doctor now and I'm very happy, thank you."
3 DAWN ACTON 1988-1999
THESE were key years in Tracy's development and Dawn helped transform her from dowdy schoolgirl to teenage tearaway.
Dawn was 11 when she won the part through a theatre workshop. "Back then, Tracy's clothes were horribly boring. Then, all of a sudden, she went from being this dowdy 14-year-old to some 15-year-old wannabe vamp, with hotpants and fashion sense," she recalls.
The storylines also began to get juicier. "My favourite was when I tried to move in on Deirdre's boyfriend Doug Murray. It showed just how sneaky Tracy was."
Dawn reveals there were no hard feelings when Kate wrestled the role away from her. "I'm not bitter. I have a positive outlook on life."
The 30-year-old is now a club DJ and lives in Greater Manchester, with son Thomas, eight, and her musician partner Stephen Wilson.
And she says Corrie fans haven't forgotten her. "I still get constantly recognised but what surprises me is the number of youngsters who know who I am."
4 KATE FORD
2002-2007
KATE has had an incredible run as razortongued Tracy, winning the British Soap Award for Best Bitch two years running.
But she has few regrets about leaving the show - especially after getting engaged to TV producer Jon Connerty last month.
"We've just bought our first house together so I'm looking forward to moving back to London and doing it up," says the 30-year-old, who also wants to take it easy for a while by enjoying a month-long holiday. "Yes, the role is tiring. It takes over your life. For the past few months I've been working 12-hour days, six days a week then going home and learning my lines for the next day.
But despite having the adoration of fans - "they're really supportive" - Kate believes that she is leaving Coronation Street at the right time.
"I think I've shown all the sides of Tracy. I didn't want it to get to the situation where people were getting bored with the character."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fans?
Okay there's a few people who like HER rather than Tracy Barlow but the lack of anything fandom on the Internet compared to other younger actresses shows she's not that well liked. They have a few pics at the bottom www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/tm_headline=four-faces-of-tracy%26method=full%26objectid=18831099%26siteid=89520-name_page.htmlOh crap. You'll need to copy and paste the last bit of the link onto the address bar.
Patsy
